The teen drama series Dawson’s Creek could have have a completely different ending if Katie Holmes didn’t put her foot down, insisting that it be changed. In the finale, Joey Potter (Holmes) was originally written to end up with Dawson Leery (James Van Der Beek). That was the idea that series creator Kevin Williamson had all along, so when he returned to write the finale after previously leaving the series after season 2, he penned his desired ending with Joey and Dawson winding up together.
However, per TVLine, Holmes’ displeasure over that version of the finale is documented in the new book Freaks, Gleeks, and Dawson’s Creek: How 7 Teen Shows Transformed Television. According to others who worked on the show, Holmes “freaked out” over the idea of Joey getting back with Dawson, feeling at this point that her character would much rather be with Pacey Witter (Joshua Jackson). Holmes requested that the ending be changed, and Williamson obliged.
“Katie freaked out: ‘I don’t want to end up with Dawson,’” showrunner Tom Kapinos is quoted as saying in the book. “So it got replotted, or rewritten.”
Executive producer Paul Stupin also points out how the first half of the episode more strongly teases that Joey will end up with Dawson, as that’s how the episode was first written before the ending was switched.
“If you kind of watch it, it leads you to think Dawson [is The One], and then I think Katie kind of did weigh in and wanted it to be Pacey,” Stupin says.
Related: Katie Holmes Is Unsure How Dawson’s Creek Would Fit in ‘Today’s World’
Joshua Jackson Backed Up Katie Holmes
Columbia Pictures Television
In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jackson would also recall the original plan for the series finale. He agreed with Holmes that Joey and Pacey were meant to be together, remembering how he also asked Williamson to change course. Jackson pointed out how Williamson hadn’t been totally present for much of the show, and when considering everything that had happened since the first season, the Joey and Pacey relationship made the most sense.
“I am the advocate! I was like ‘Hell no! No. No. No. That’s not gonna work for me.’ I had a whole conversation with Kevin [Williamson] about this,” Jackson said. “Like ‘Look, I get it. This is the idea that you had in your head, but I’m just gonna ask you to watch the tale of the tape and this is the more interesting end for these characters.'”
Williamson has also since admitted that he’s glad the switch happened, later saying to EW of the canonical ending, “I went, ‘Boy, this feels right.’”
Dawson’s Creek aired for six seasons between 1993 and 2003. Along with Holmes, Van Der Beek, and Jackson, the series also starred Michelle Williams, Mary-Margaret Humes, John Wesley Shipp, Mary Beth Peil, and Nina Repeta. It followed teenager Dawson Leery and his friends living in Capeside, Massachusetts.
You can stream Dawson’s Creek on the free streaming platforms Pluto TV and Tubi, as well as on Netflix and Hulu.
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